Lagosians woke on Tuesday, June 2, 2015 to witness yet another fire outbreak in the Iyana-Ipaja area of the State. The blaze is said to have started June 2, 2015, after a fuel-laden tanker fell off a bridge and exploded along the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway.
An incident involving a petrol tanker in Lagos
Within a few days interval, a tanker, carrying about 33,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) crashed into a building along Isheri Road while racing with another tanker and a commercial bus. The collision resulted in a spillage of the diesel into a gutter which was reportedly ignited by the flames of a suya seller located close by. The incident resulted in the destruction of 34 shops and 15 houses. And indeed, only just few days back the same incident happened in the Onitsha, Anambra State, killing not less than 69 persons and destroying properties worth millions of Naira.
In a statement on Tuesday, the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM) Nigeria Chairperson, Dr. Eugene Itua, decried the incidents and considered them avoidable. He noted if the refineries were to be working the movement of petroleum products via tankers would not have been the order of the day but the use of pipelines which constitute less hazard to the public. Dr. Itua urged the new government, as a matter of priority and urgency, to fix the refineries and save the nation from the myriads of problems and disasters associated with storage and transportation of petroleum products. He also pointed out that increasing public awareness and greater commitment from the part of government agencies responsible for fighting fire are necessary ingredients to putting an end to fire menace which seem to have engulfed the nation in recent times.
Dr Itua further recalled that in 2014, at least 137 people were killed during fire disasters while 20 people were killed between January and March, 2015 by fire. Also, in 2014, no fewer N101.52 billion estimated properties were saved from being destroyed by the fire services, while the estimated worth of properties saved between January and March, 2015 stood at N36.6 billion. The statistics revealed that 1,263 fire calls were received in 2014 and 524 fire calls also received between the first quarters of this year.
In support of the government’s effort, Dr. Itua said IIRSM Nigeria Branch has embarked on the sensitisation of employees and business owners in Lagos Market on Institutionalisation Of Safety Culture and Prevention Of Fire In The Market Place starting with Ashade Market, Allen and Ladipo Market in April and May, this year, respectively. IIRSM intends to reach to all markets in Lagos with this sensitisation. It is believed with such awareness a greater number of the public will be given the right to know on how to prevent fire incidence and take safer responsibilities in ensuring life and properties are protected within and outside the confines of the market.
His Holiness Pope Francis on Thursday June 18, 2015 released his much-anticipated encyclical, commanding the faithful to take action to protect our planet and solve climate change now. The Pope’s message calls on all of us to stop abusing the Earth’s resources and make the sacrifices necessary to combat climate change – before it’s too late.
Pope Francis. Photo credit: dailytimes.com.ng
Throughout his encyclical, Pope Francis makes clear: We have to do more to safeguard our common home, like reducing our consumption, tackling pollution and greenhouse gases, and transitioning to clean energy. If we don’t, we’ll face grave consequences that put our ecosystem and human life at risk, especially for less-developed countries, he warns.
An encyclical is one of the most important documents a Pope can issue, reserved for only the most pressing global matters. With his encyclical on climate change, Pope Francis makes clear that addressing climate change is a matter of social justice – and that all of us must do our part to care for the world we inhabit.
The papal encyclical has however been swiftly greeted by a barrage of affirmative reactions from all over the globe.
For instance, the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, has welcomed the papal encyclical, which highlights that climate change is one of the principal challenges facing humanity, and that it is a moral issue requiring respectful dialogue with all parts of society. The Secretary-General notes the encyclical’s findings that there is “a very solid scientific consensus” showing significant warming of the climate system and that most global warming in recent decades is “mainly a result of human activity”.
Ban Ki-moon reaffirms that humanity has a significant obligation to care for and protect our common home, the planet Earth, and to show solidarity with the poorest and most vulnerable members of society who are suffering most from climate impacts. He therefore urges governments to place the global common good above national interests and to adopt an ambitious, universal climate agreement in Paris this year.
The Secretary-General welcomes the contributions of all religious leaders and people of influence in responding to the climate challenge and in strengthening sustainable development. He looks forward to welcoming Pope Francis at the United Nations in September to address the UN General Assembly.
Similarly, Kofi Annan, Chair of the Africa Progress Panel and Kofi Annan Foundation, expresses support to the encyclical on climate change by Pope Francis.
His words: “As Pope Francis reaffirms, climate change is an all-encompassing threat: it is a threat to our security, our health, and our sources of fresh water and food. Such conditions could displace tens of millions of people, dwarfing current migration and fuelling further conflicts. I applaud the Pope for his strong moral and ethical leadership. We need more of such inspired leadership. Will we see it at the climate summit in Paris?”
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have also welcomed Pope Francis’ strong moral case for people and leaders to tackle climate change delivered in Thursday’s historic papal encyclical.
In a rare open letter that will shape Catholic teaching, His Holiness Pope Francis laid out our moral imperative to “care for our common home” and end the inequalities which are driving interlinked problems of climate change and poverty. Pope Francis is the latest and most high profile voice to join a long list of people, from scientists, business leaders, economists, labour leaders and youth, who understand that taking action on climate change and empowering poorer countries to develop sustainably is both morally and economically right. The fossil fuel industry is increasingly the sole and isolated voice opposing the groundswell of momentum for action.
Thursday’s call is set to provide a massive boostto two big summits happening this year on sustainable development and climate change. Politicians have a chance to listen to their people and deliver plans to move towards a poverty-free world powered by 100% renewable energy at the UN General Assembly on the Sustainable Development Goals in September (the Pope will be speaking at the UNGA and to the US Congress) and COP21 in December.
NGOs and their allies in the faith community made the following comments:
Bernd Nilles, Secretary-General, CIDSE: “The coming months will be critical for decisions about development and care for the planet. We hope that politicians and decision makers will take the strong messages of the encyclical on board and that the outcomes of these international meetings will put the common interest first and be able to make the difference.”
Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director, Oxfam International: “The call by His Holy Father, His Holiness Pope Francis, reminds us that climate change is first and foremost about people. The gross and growing inequality between rich and poor has been made worse by the climate crisis. Moreover, the emissions of the rich are driving weather extremes that hit the poorest hardest. Only when world leaders heed the Pope’s moral leadership on these two defining issues, inequality and climate change, will our societies become safer, more prosperous and more equal.”
Christine Allen, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Christian Aid: “From William Wilberforce and the abolition of slavery in Britain to Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight for equal rights in the US and Desmond Tutu’s victory over apartheid in South Africa, Christians acting on their sense of moral duty have a history of transforming society for the better. If Christians in Europe and all over the world heed its call as many are already doing, the Pope’s Encyclical could well spark another transformation on a global scale – and Europe and the world would be a better place for it.”
Tomas Insua, Movement Coordinator of the Global Catholic Climate Movement: “This beautiful and urgent call to action from Pope Francis, besides challenging our lifestyles and behaviors, has perfect timing ahead of the COP21 summit. It was Pope Francis himself who said he wanted the encyclical to influence the international climate negotiations, so now it’s time for Catholics and all people of good will to mobilise and remind world leaders of the moral imperative of climate action.”
Dr Guillermo Kerber, Programme Executive on Care for Creation and Climate Justice, World Council of Churches: “The World Council of Churches welcomes Pope Francis’ encyclical which catalyses what churches and ecumenical organisations have been doing for decades – caring for the earth and fighting for climate justice. By affirming human induced climate change and its impacts on the poorest and most vulnerable communities, the Encyclical is an important call to urgently act as individuals, citizens and also at the international level to effectively respond to the climate crisis.”
Reverend Fletch Harper, Co-ordinator at Our Voices and Director at Greenfaith USA: “As co-organisers of the June 28 March in Rome to St Peter’s Square – Una Terra, Una Famiglia Umana – the Our Voices movement looks forward to showing that an incredibly diverse, rainbow coalition of Catholics, followers of all faiths, environmentalists and people of good will support the Pope’s call for action by world leaders. The Encyclical shows that the global multifaith tide of demand for climate action is growing dramatically.”
Dr. Steven Timmermans, Executive Director, Christian Reformed Church in North America: “We affirm Pope Francis’ moral framing of the threats posed by climate change. We have too many brothers and sisters around the world living on the edge of poverty whose livelihoods are threatened—and too many little ones in our congregations set to inherit a dangerously broken world—to believe otherwise. For too long the church has been silent about the moral travesty of climate change. Today, the Pope has said, ‘Enough is enough,’ and the Christian Reformed Church welcomes his voice.”
Anthony Hobley, CEO of the Carbon Tracker Initiative: “Pope Francis’s encyclical has added a moral imperative to the financial case for preventing catastrophic climate change. Carbon Tracker’s financial analysis has shown that plans to invest trillions of dollars in high-cost fossil fuel projects does not make economic sense. Pope Francis makes it clear it doesn’t make moral or ethical sense either. These fossil fuel assets that may never be burned anyway pose significant risks for investors and will impact the pension pots of millions of ordinary people.”
Harjeet Singh, Climate Policy Manager for ActionAid International: “The Pope’s moral call to protect the environment and humanity is backed by science. Pope Francis has hit the nail on the head by connecting the climate crisis with its root causes of huge consumption, massive inequality and destruction of ecosystems. As he says, real solutions need to be based on equity, justice and morality.”
Louise Whiting, Senior Policy Analyst, Water Security and Climate Change, WaterAid UK: “Climate change will be felt mainly through water – too much in times of flood, too little in times of drought, and in many places increasingly saline or polluted. Though the world’s poorest have done least to contribute to this global catastrophe, they are the most vulnerable to climate change and least able to cope. As the world’s temperature rises, basic needs for water – including drinking, cooking, washing, sanitation and hygiene – must be given priority, to ensure the health and well-being of those most vulnerable, and to make communities more resilient to climatic changes. Developed world support to help least-developed countries adapt to the new realities will be essential.”
Martin Kaiser, Head of International Climate Politics at Greenpeace: “We welcome the clarity and directness of the encyclical about the weakness of the international political reaction to climate change, with too many special interests prevailing over the common good. The Pope’s words should jolt heads of government out of their complacency, and encourage them to bring in tough laws in their own countries to protect the climate, and to agree a strong climate protocol in Paris at the end of this year.
“The encyclical rightly points out that deforestation is a big contributor to carbon emissions and the loss of species. We endorse Pope Francis’ call on world leaders to protect the forests and oceans, and listen to the demands of people and scientists worldwide.
“Finally, we hope that the Vatican Bank will join the growing movement which is divesting from coal, oil and dangerous nuclear power and support renewables, in keeping with the Pope’s words. And we look forward to the Church’s support for an energy revolution at local level as well.”
As the real estate industry in Nigeria braces up for more contribution to the nation economy, managing director of Alpha Mead Facility & Management Services Ltd. (or AMFacilities), Femi Akintunde, has charged facility managers in the country to position themselves as key drivers of the real estate sector.
Left to right: Femi Akintunde, Managing Director/CEO, Alpha Mead Facilities & Management Services Ltd (AMFacilities); Udo Okonjo, CEO, Fine & Country West Africa; Wale Odufalu, GM Corporate Services, AMFacilities (and Chair, BIFM Nigeria); and Mr. John Strang, MD, Fine & Country, at the 2015 Edition of the Nigerian Facilities Management Roundtable sponsored by AMFacilities in Lagos.
Akintunde made this statement at the fourth edition of the Nigerian Facility Management Roundtable, sponsored by Alpha Mead in commemoration of the World Facility Management Day: a day earmarked internationally by Global FM, a worldwide alliance of member-centred facility management organisations, providing leadership in the advancement of the FM profession through FM institutions such as the BIFM, IFMA International, FMA, Australia and many others around the globe.
Speaking during his welcome address at the event, Akintunde who quoted a recent report by PriceWaterCoopers (PWC), that Real Estate investment value is expected to increase from $9.16 billion to $13.65 billion next year, said the facility management industry must brace up to support and sustain the anticipated growth.
He said: “Going by this revelation however, for Nigeria to meet its Vision 2020 target, a lot still needs to be done in the area of improved public infrastructure to drive the required positive change in the real estate and facility management industry, and the general living condition of the average Nigerian.”
He added that, for the facility management and real estate sectors to contribute meaningfully to the Nigerian economy, practitioners must embrace global standards and best practices in the execution of projects.
“In the last four years, AMFacilities has sponsored this event as one of the ways we are exploring to raise awareness, set agenda, and promote global standards in the industry. We understand that the dynamics of the market are changing and we want to position facility management to play critically in that mix,” he explained.
Keynote Speaker of the event, former Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Supo Shasore (SAN), said the facility management industry is one of the few industries certain for growth in the foreseeable future of the country.
Shasore, who was represented by the Managing Director of Cluttons Nigeria, Erejuwa Gbadebo, disclosed: “The FM industry is one of the few industries that is certain for growth in the foreseeable future in this region and nation. For the sheer obvious reason that we have such a deficit to fill. I’m sure many of you know that in the World Economic Forum, Global Competitiveness Report 2014-15, Nigeria is ranked at 134 in infrastructure out of 144 economies.”
The former Attorney-General also lamented the current deficit in Nigeria’s infrastructure, saying: “The country’s core infrastructure stock is estimated at only 35-40% of GDP, in contrast to international benchmarks of 70% of GDP. This low value has been driven by historically low public and private spending on infrastructure.”
The highpoint of the event was the introduction of the British Institute of Facility Management (BIFM), Nigeria Chapter, which, according to Femi Akintunde, is a welcome development to strengthen the advocacy for best practices in the industry and encourage knowledge-sharing amongst members and professionals.
The event drew participants from five major sectors of oil and gas, telecommunications, real estate, government and public services and financial services.
In their submission, participants from the oil and gas sector pointed out that facility management was still in its infancy stage and therefore could not attract the right investments, and making it difficult for the oil and gas sector to engage the services of the local players.
Speaking at a panel on behalf the financial sector, Gabriel Igbeke, Head of Admin, NSE, said facility managers lacked the financial capabilities to execute projects and therefore depend on the sector for finance which creates ineffectiveness because opening a financial book for such is tough. The panellists stressed the need for the setting up of a regulatory body to oversee the operation of professionals in the sector.
While the telecoms, government and the academic sectors acknowledged the importance of engaging the services of professional facilities managers, they advocated the need for training and retraining of FM managers to enhance their capacity to function efficiently.
Reacting to some of the issues raised by the panellists, Akintunde said there was need for more training and standardization in the practice of FM in Nigeria. While acknowledging the fact that a lot needed to be done in this sector, Akintunde stressed the need for organisations to keep to their promise of timely payment to facility management companies to enable them deliver quality services as because FM is a capital intensive venture.
The Technical Task Force on the African Regional Space Programme (TTF-ARSP) . This was declared at the end of its meeting held on 10 June 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland on the margins of the 17th Congress of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
A session at the 17th Congress of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in Geneva, Switzerland. Photo credit: meteotz1950.blogspot.com
The Task Force is an initiative coordinated by the African Union (AU), the African Ministerial Conference on Science and Technology (AMCOST), through the Commission on Human Resource Science and Technology (HRST) in collaboration with African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET), and the African Union Conference of Ministers in Charge of Communications and Information Technologies (CITMC).
In her opening remark, the chairperson of the meeting, Dr. Agnes Kijazi, who is also the Permanent Representative of Tanzania with the WMO, stated that the “meeting is entrusted with identifying the role of stakeholders, spot elements of pilot projects, see a possibility of sharing experience with other countries currently running space programmes, discuss potential funding sources and come up with the way forward for the African Meteorological Space Implementation Plan”.
These were objectives set before the Task Force, following the resolution of the African Regional Space Programme, during the 3rd Session of the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET-3), in Praia, Cabo Verde, 13-14 February 2015, which endorsed the draft African Space Policy and the African Space Strategy with the understanding that issues of meteorology would be adequately taken into account in its scope for implementation.
“Unlike other sectors such as communication, navigation and positioning, which attract private investors to invest in space technology, Meteorology requires a collaborative effort to provide cost-effective possibility in obtaining continental coverage from space for Meteorological information,” said Dr. Kijazi.
The Meeting took a close look at the Concept Note on the mandate of the current African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET) Task Force on the African Regional Space Programme with a focus on developing a feasibility study on the Implementation Plan for the Programme. It also shared experiences of countries such as China, South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya in their National Space Programmes.
“With the experiences shared today, the different levels in the implementation of Space Programmes are clearer. The African Meteorological Implementation Plan will, therefore, take a study of the viable options for Africa, cognisance of the available resources and possibly start with the application part which is related to the ground segment to build a critical mass of space scientists including application of satellite data in order to benefit from the ongoing programmes in the world, and later implement launching of the Africa Satellite,” Dr. Kijazi added.
The outcome of the meeting was to lay a clearer roadmap for the establishment of African Regional Space Programme, starting with incorporation of meteorological issues in the Draft African Space Policy, the Draft African Strategy, define Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Task Force based on lessons learned from other countries and further build on decisions reached at improving the region’s Space programme, in the 3rd Sessions of The African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET) held on 13-14 February 2015 in Praia, Cabo Verde.
Norfund, the UK aid department, and Capricorn are funding the British company Agrica’s industrial rice plantation in Mngeta, Tanzania, which is destroying the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, driving them into debt and impacting the local environment, according to new research by The Oakland Institute released on Wednesday June 17, 2015 in collaboration with Greenpeace Africa and Global Justice Now.
Anuradha Mittal, Executive Director of the Oakland Institute. Photo credit: tamildiplomat.com
Agrica’s rice plantation in Tanzania has been used as a showcase project of the G8’s New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition and the Southern Agriculture Growth Corridor of Tanzania. But the new report, tagged: “Irresponsible Investment – Agrica’s Broken Development Model in Tanzania,” documents a catalogue of devastating impacts on local communities.
Norfund, the UK aid department, and the US investment firm Capricorn Investments (co-founded by eBay philanthropist Jeff Skoll) have all invested several million US dollars in Agrica, a British company registered in the tax haven of Guernsey.
“Although Agrica is portrayed as a responsible investment venture, its takeover of fertile land has brought misery to local communities. Labelled ‘squatters,’ smallholders were forced off the land, lost their livelihoods, received a meagre compensation for their losses, and have had to face debts resulting from doing business with Agrica,” said Anuradha Mittal, Executive Director of the Oakland Institute.
Local farmers who planted rice for Agrica were required to purchase chemical fertilizers manufactured by the Norwegian fertilizer company Yara. They also had to sell the rice at a price determined by the company. “Agrica peddled chemical inputs to smallholders, leaving many in debt. In an area known as Tanzania’s food basket due to its fertile soil, this uncovers the real agenda of Agrica. They have opened up new markets for the products of international agribusiness that are damaging for both people and the environment,” explained Glen Tyler, agriculture campaigner for Greenpeace Africa.
The research findings raise concerns about the environmental impacts of Agrica’s industrial rice plantation. The prolonged use of agro-chemicals as well as the expansion of irrigation from 215 hectares to 3,000 hectares – resulting in up to one third of the nearby Mngeta River’s dry season water flow being diverted – threatens the Ramsar protected wetlands, within which the plantation is located.
“This project undermines the rhetoric of aid-sponsored large-scale agricultural investments and exposes the true beneficiaries to be agribusiness multinationals rather than small-scale farmers and local communities,” said Heidi Chow, food campaigner for Global Justice Now.
Despite claims that this is the only possible model for agricultural development, the approach is deeply flawed. More effective avenues would focus on meeting the needs of the smallholder farmers and assisting them to develop appropriate farming practices. Providing support to agroecological methods would boost yields and improve food security while preventing the debt cycle that comes with the regime of intensive chemical inputs.
The Oakland Institute, Greenpeace Africa, and Global Justice Now are demanding that all of Agrica’s investors cease funding and review their other agriculture investment schemes in Africa for similar abuses against African farmers. A global campaign is being prepared to mobilise against such wrongdoings by international donors in coming days.
On Monday evening, President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) spoke with the Nigerian community at the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa.
President Muhammadu Buhari. Photo credit: politicoscope.com
Speaking extempore, because according to him, he wanted to “speak from the heart,” the President urged them to be good ambassadors of Nigeria, a country he went to the warfront to keep together.
Still extolling the virtues of our country, Nigeria, the President, who had served as a military governor of the then North-Eastern State at 33 years old, declared:”I wish I became Head of State when I was a governor. Now at 72, there is a limit to what I can do.”
The above comments have been reported by some newspapers to mean that the President was saying he was too old to cope with the demands of his office. Far from it.
As the saying goes, “old wines are tasty” and the President Buhari we have today is a man, like old wine, that has got tastier. At 72, yes, he can’t be called a youth, but he has in quantum the wisdom, the patience, temperance and forbearance that age brings. And all these virtues he has brought to the Presidency, to make a difference in our national life.
The President reassured the Nigerian community in South Africa that his Administration will make a positive impact on the country. He will ensure that this happens.
Insecurity as symbolised by insurgency will be brought to an end, corruption will be fought to a standstill, employment will be created for the teeming army of unemployed, the economy will be revived, and the quality of life of Nigerians will take an upward swing again.
At 72, the Buhari persona has not changed. He remains the simple, honest, incorruptible patriot he has always been. And because Nigerians earnestly desired change, that was why they voted for him overwhelmingly at the general elections in March, this year. All the virtues and values of the Buhari persona will be deployed into governance in the weeks and months ahead.
The Nigerian community in South Africa was enthralled as President Buhari spoke with them on Monday. In fact, leaving the venue was an effort, as they swarmed round the President, who shook hands with as many of them as he could.
They took his message well. That is the essence of good wine. It gets better with age. And it is a message for all Nigerians, both at home and in the Diaspora.
“Why would you let the professional arsonist join the volunteer fire department?” saidBill McKibben,author and co-founder of350.org, “These are the guys who want to keep the problem going, not solve it.”
In May, it was revealed that COP 21 in Paris may be yet another “Corporate COP” with the announcement ofEDF and Suez Environnement as lead sponsors.Suez Environnement, infamous for its dealings in water privatisation, is partially owned by ENGIE, formerly GDF Suez, which profits from fracking operations around the world,putting it at directodds with the advancement of the treaty. ENGIE and EDF’s coal operations contribute to nearly50% of France’s emissions.
The cosy relationship between polluters and the UNFCCC has become increasingly institutionalised. TheLima-Paris Action Agenda(LPAA), a joint project of the incoming and outgoing COP presidents, the Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the UNFCCC Secretariat, encourages direct engagement with non-state actors—primarily identified as sub-national governments and corporations – as stakeholders in the policymaking process.
“The fossil fuel industry is not a partner in the solution – it is the driver of the crisis. Giving big polluters a seat at the table glosses over the glaring conflict of interest fossil fuel corporations have in a real solution to climate change,” saidJohn Stewart, deputy campaign director at Corporate Accountability International. “Inviting gas, oil and coal corporations to shape climate policy is akin to looking to Big Tobacco to shape public health policy.”
Ecosur Afrique, the leading carbon finance group in Africa; Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P), an impact investment fund dedicated to small and medium size enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa and Volta cars Rental Services (VRS), a car leasing company operating in West Africa, have announced the first ever carbon credits transaction involving a seller and a buyer from West Africa.
Fabrice Le Sache, CEO of ecosur afrique. Photo credit: APO
The transaction, which has been structured by ecosur afrique, allows VRS customers to offset the CO2 emissions of vehicles leased in Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal. Thomas Crand, the co-founder of VRS, states: “We develop a strong environmental strategy; CO2 emissions are at the heart of our concerns and we are pleased to offer our customers the option to offset their carbon footprint. The transaction, that took place on Monday, June 15, 2015, is pioneering and a unique choice, which distinguishes us on the West African market. We hope it will become standard in our sector.” VRS will aggregate the offset demand of customers taking part in the “carbon neutral” programme each quarter and for the whole fleet concerned. The carbon credit purchases will be made with same periodicity.
The carbon credits, or emission reductions, which are at base of the offset transaction, are generated from the dissemination of energy efficient cooks toves in Côte d’Ivoire. The cook stoves are distributed as part of the “Soutra Fourneau” programme financed and operated by ecosur afrique. They allow to reduce charcoal consumption of small entrepreneurial users such as restaurants or canteens. The use of charcoal and firewood for cooking purposes remains a major source of CO2 emissions and deforestation in West Africa. Beyond the environmental aspect, the benefits are numerous: redistribution of purchasing power to consumers, decrease of noxious fumes, reduction of meal preparation time by half.
Fabrice Le Sache, CEO of ecosur afrique, explains the background of this pioneering transaction: “The exchange of carbon credits involves traditionally their transfer from developing countries to industrialized countries. We are convinced that the future of the market lies in part in the development of the South / South transactions, particularly within Africa. We have been working for several years on our carbon credit offer in order to create sufficient liquidity allowing the emergence of such a market. With over 40 projects in 17 countries, we now have the largest portfolio of African carbon credits in terms of volume and diversity. We must now increase and expand the demand; Similar CO2 offset transactions are under negotiation with African hotel chains, carriers and agribusinesses.”
As a private investor of VRS, I&P played a major role in the operation. The fund began by offseting its own CO2 emissions in an exemplary manner and proposed this solution to some companies in its portfolio in the following, particularly to those, which are concerned by this topic (logistics, transport, distribution of fresh products). Jean-Michel Severino, CEO of Investisseurs & Partenaires, said: “I&P shows, once again, its commitment to pioneering entrepreneurial ideas, both to strengthen the business model of its holdings, to offer them distinctive solutions in their market and to assist them in environmental and social performance, a pre-condition of economic sustainability.”
Malawi was not the only country that suffered devastating climate change effects this year. So to say, from last year. The Lower Shire, southern tip of the country, suffers annual flooding and often droughts, but the year 2015 has been so different and a big mark in the lives of many people – affected directly and indirectly.
Weeks of very heavy rainfall have triggered widespread flooding in Malawi. Photo credit: Water Journalists – Africa
Natural disasters have just been some technical explanation by officials at the Department of Disaster, an arm of the government dealing with all that man-kind has inflicted upon the self through careless care of God’s creation.
The youth of Malawi, drawn from across all districts, have not been spared, and it is not a DoDMA sanctified arena any more. The suffering that floods brought onto the people have brought with it a renewed fight and thinking to preserve Mother Earth. If not preserve, well, at least to control and probably abate the actions that lead to mass destruction of life, property and hope.
The year 2010/11 Malawian youth in the faith community were part and parcel of the Pan-African Climate Justice Caravan driving from Nairobi in Kenya to South Africa, Durban, where world leaders met at the 17thUNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP). They undertook the journey across some 5,000 kilometres by road, sleeping in tents and observing the beauty that nature should be, alongside appreciating the damage that mankind has brought on the environment.
This year around, Malawi’s youth are engaging in various activities, from participating in the Pan-African Regional Cycling Caravan from Maputo in Mozambique to Nairobi, to planting and adopting trees within the country, and collecting signed petitions that along with those from participating countries and elsewhere, will add to numbers in pressing for a fair, legally binding deal come COP21 in France this December.
Already, the We Have Faith platform in Malawi will be engaging in climate justice concerts, the pre-launch in Blantyre and the main concert at the capital city, Lilongwe. Dignitaries from government, faith mother bodies, donor partners, and youth groups, among others will be in participation.
Speeches, musical performances, cultural shows, and motivation talks from Climate Justice Ambassadors led by Father George Buleya, who is the National Ambassador. Branded messages under the country banner of‘Chilengedwe – Tsogolo Lathu, Ufulu Wathu’(Environment – Our Future, Our Right) will buttress the regional ‘ACT Now for Climate Justice’ cry adopted by the caravan spearheaded by the We Have Faith and ACT Alliance.
The youth, supported by faith leaders under the banners of the Malawi Council of Churches (MCC) who are the official We Have Faith platform coordinators in Malawi,Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM), Quadria Muslim Association of Malawi (QMAM), Muslim Association of Malawi (MAM), and the Baha’i Faith, the Seventh Day, will also participate in the climax concert in Kenya and some will proceed to Paris, France, where they will bring the Malawian youth voice to the world leaders after attending the Conference of Youth (COY).
Vigils, prayers, peaceful protests against continued global warming at the hands of large economies, and the Conference of the People (COP) take place at strategic places in Paris, joined by youth and faith leaders and civil society players.
The objective of the regional activity is to have a bigger and stronger African voice reaching world leaders in demanding for a change to their approach on climate issues, African being the biggest victim of rising temperatures that must be brought down to at least 1.5 degrees. Malawi media, cyclists, religious leaders and corporate world are expected to play a bigger role in the advocacy campaign that regionally will involve nine countries and cycle for 90 days across an approximate 6,000 kilometres journey.
And should nothing happen, Malawi will continue to lose entire villages to floods, families especially women and children to droughts, and property to storms and other naturally induced climate phenomenon.
Over 1 million climate justice ambassadors are expected to be created in the campaign that further engages Mozambique, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Angola.
By M’theto Lungu (We Have Faith ACT NOW Campaign Coordinator, Malawi)
Due to ‘disappointing yields and poor quality cotton fiber,” the country of Burkina Faso in West Africa is ditching Monsanto’s genetically modified cotton
GMO Cotton
JeuneAfriquereports that Interprofessional Cotton in Burkina Faso has decided tophase out the use of Monsanto’s GMO cotton seedsover the next three years. This is a group of cotton farmers, banks, research institutions, private stakeholders and the government. It isn’tjustcotton farmers that are complaining about Monsanto’s GM cotton, though.
Interprofessional Cotton members include the Société burkinabè des fibres textiles (Sofitex), Faso Coton, and the Société cotonnière du Gourma (Socoma, subsidiary of the French group Geocoton).
All of these groups have complained that Monsanto’s GM cotton did not produce quality cotton fiber, and farmers have experienced lower yields than with non-GM cotton. The group will also seek compensation from Monsanto for lower yields they experienced since the 2008 growing season.
The group isdenouncing its contractwith Monsanto due to the lower quality performance of the GM cotton, and also lower yields.
Advocates of GM cotton state that they have increased agricultural production by more than US$98 billion and saved an estimated 473 million kilograms of pesticides from being sprayed in the US, but critics question their environmental, social, and economic impacts – with good reason. Among the complaints are thatGM cotton has caused superweeds, and drivenIndian farmers to suicide.
Genetically modified organisms and crops are so controversial that communities, states, and even entire nations are at the very least attempting to ban or suspend these creations – with some areas having notable success. A small example within the U.S. can be seen when a federal judge in southern Oregon recently decided touphold Jackson County’s banon genetically engineered crops after two alfalfa farms requested that the ban be blocked.
Another example can be seen with the nation Hungary, which could be the first to introduce the new European Union regulations allowing countries toban the cultivation of GMO crops.
An observer remarked: “As time goes on, you can expect to see more suspensions and even bans on Monsanto’s GMOs as well as the company’s herbicidal chemical creations meant to be sprayed on GMO crops.”
